Northern Pipeline Interconnector, SEQ - Humes

Strength. Performance. Passion.
Northern Pipeline Interconnector
Stage 2 – J series jacking pipes and interjack stations
Case study

Case study
Humes and NNA push pipe-jacking
to new limits
Humes played an integral role in the successful completion of the Southern
Hemisphere’s longest pipe-jack, at Nambour in South East Queensland.
The pipe-jack is part of the Northern Pipeline Interconnector (NPI) – Stage 2,
which involves construction of 48 kilometres of underground, reverse-flow
water pipeline from the Noosa Water Treatment Plant at Cooroy to the
NPI - Stage 1 at Eudlo. This project is a key component of the South East
Queensland Water Grid. The Northern Network Alliance (NNA) is designing
and constructing the NPI – Stage 2 for LinkWater. The NNA is comprised of
LinkWater Projects, McConnell Dowell Corporation Limited, Abigroup and KBR.
The pipeline alignment includes a section through Pringle Hill in Nambour.
Tunnelling through Pringle Hill represented a significant construction
challenge given the tunnel’s length of 1,032 m, its height difference of 60 m
from the launch position to the final target, and the design requirement for a
significant vertical curve.
Project
Northern Pipeline
Interconnector – Stage 2,
South East QLD
Client
Northern Network Alliance
(NNA)
Product supplied
341 DN2100 J series jacking
pipes, 10 DN2100 interjack
stations, 242 DN1500 J series
jacking pipes, 5 DN1500
interjack stations
Usually a microtunnel of comparable length would be divided into sections
with one or more intermediate shafts. However, the steep slope and
topography of the area made this option impossible, so the Pringle Hill tunnel
had to be one long, continuous tunnel.
The Humes DN2100 J series pipe-jack was integral to the successful
completion of the tunnel, and a significant accomplishment for tunnel
engineering in Australia. Ten interjack stations were deployed inside the
tunnel to enable the pipe-jack to achieve this significant length.
By successfully installing the J series jacking pipes over a distance of more
than one kilometre, both NNA and Humes have demonstrated there is greater
scope for infrastructure designers to choose more economical routes, which
may also deliver benefits to residents and the environment.
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